Alternate ending of Mockingjay
by pillar0ffir3
Summary: Alternate ending of Mockingjay: Starts when Peeta joins Katniss and her propo team in District 2 during the final military campaign on the Capitol. Boggs is still alive and he has just told Katniss "I'm planning for you to have a long life. Because you've earned it." She has just finished the conversation with Haymitch and feels guilty for insulting Peeta. It is her turn to tak


Alternate ending of Mockingjay: Starts when Peeta joins Katniss and her propo team in District 2 during the final military campaign on the Capitol. Boggs is still alive and he has just told Katniss "I'm planning for you to have a long life. Because you've earned it." She has just finished the conversation with Haymitch and feels guilty for insulting Peeta. It is her turn to take the shift guarding Peeta.

Chapter 19 ½ of Mockingjay

I make my way over to Peeta, his back is faced towards the wall but I swear I heard my name. Before he was hijacked I know he used to say my name in his sleep out of wanting to be with me. This time is different though and I can't help but think he is saying it because he wants to kill me instead. Far away from the rest of crew, where I can see Gale is fast asleep. This is my first moment of privacy with Peeta since he has returned. Without Peeta I wouldn't have become the Mockingjay, I know I only agreed because I knew it was the only way Peeta I wouldn't have to fear for his life in District 13.

I take out the pearl he gave me and begin to roll it in my hands. I sigh and begin to speak under my breath, "The games still aren't over, when are we ever going to stop being used for other's agendas." I look at Peeta, my speaking hasn't seemed to wake him so I decide to continue talking to his back. "We are always being used as part of a show and in the first games I know it seemed I was playing a part especially since I knew what Haymitch wanted me to do but I also wanted to do it to save you. And then, during the games this time it was clear I wasn't just acting. I finally convinced Snow and now he has tortured you and hijacked you just to break me." I pause to sigh but continue to let the words flow from my mouth because I don't know if I will get a chance to say what I am feeling again. Not to mention that this is hijacked Peeta.

I roll the pearl around in my hand and begin again, "I don't know how we got here, but we are still here. I hate that Snow has hijacked you, that I can't crawl into the arms that are my only escape from this place. When I came back and Gale asked if I loved him, I told him I didn't have room to love because all I had room for was fear. I never even thought of marriage until we used it before this year's hunger games. And children! Having children who might starve or worse yet end up in the hunger games stopped me from ever seeing that in my future."

Peeta hasn't moved at all, I think of when Gale kissed me and told me he had to do it just once. So I draw the courage from within myself and say what I finally know I have been feeling and have been so afraid of feeling. "After Finnick's speech I finally realized that no matter what my life after the games would never be the same that there was no going back to the life before the games. But if the games never happened, I would never know how you felt or for that matter how I felt. I don't even have the locket you gave me from the games just this pearl. After being back in 13, around my mother, Gale, and even Prim the sister I loved so much to enter the games you were all I could think about. I don't want to say I love you as part of an act or for someone else's game. I want to say I love you because it's true. I never felt anything like what I felt kissing you. I just had to tell you that just once."

I had been so busy staring at the pearl as I rolled it in my hand that I hadn't noticed Peeta had rolled to facing me. His blue eyes staring at me, I freeze not knowing what to do. He smirks, "leave it to you to confess something like that when you thought I was sleeping. I have been awake the whole time." He looks at the pearl in my hand and looks back at me, "can you say it to me now?" Without dropping my gaze from his I say "I love you Peeta Mellark." He begins to sit up and scoot towards me brings his face to mine and kisses me. I feel that thing in my chest, knowing exactly what it is.

He stops, moves his face within inches and says "I love you Katniss Everdeen" as he grips my face in his hands and then continues to kiss me. His hands are still bound together and I grab onto his wrists tightly and pull reluctantly away from kissing him. "Is it difficult, are you struggling since you have been hijacked?"

He smirks again, "I told you Katniss I had no one to come back to, only you." I lean forward and plant a kiss on his lips. Then I just rest my forehead on his not kissing, not speaking just sitting there.

"President Coin was hoping you would kill me, I am no use to her now that the capitol is close to being taken. I don't know what to do even now I am afraid this could be taken away at any moment."

He puts his hand under my chin and makes me look him in the eyes. His eyes steady me as he begins to speak, "remember I told you the games were the best thing that happened in my life?"

I smile letting out a slight laugh and shake my head yes. He slides his hand from my chin to my cheek. "Katniss I never imagined to survive two hunger games and still have you. After everything, we finally have a chance to live a life not interrupted by a yearly victor tour or fear our kids being in the hunger games. Coin may want you dead, but we finally have a chance for a future together without hunger games. There is a possibility this might not be taken away, there is hope."

My mind drifts back to the daisy and I that same sense of hope fills me and I smile as tears begin to stream down my face. I throw my arms around him and pull my face into his shoulder. His hands are still tied between us.

"Katniss."

I pull out of the hug and realize that his gaze is looking behind me. I look back expecting to see everyone gazing only to find Finnick standing there smiling like no tomorrow.

"It's my shift" he says casually, "though I am sure anyone other than me would be surprised to find you embracing given they all are expecting to find Peeta strangling you again." Then his smile fades as you can tell he is thinking hard on something.

"I think it would be better if we let them to continue to believe he wants to kill you, just to be safe." he says as he joins us. I relax back down into a seated position on the floor. How strange to have the three of us victors sitting here. Finnick married something I am sure he never expected. Of course none of us were expected to be leading a rebellion let alone be alive right now.

I shake my head in agreement, but Peeta speaks in hushed tone. "Even though we can't let everyone know, I think we should as the camera crew to catch Katniss and me together on film re-united. It might be useful to them for the final takeover of the capitol. I bet we can surprise both Coin and Snow. I mean all I have to do is just show I can keep myself composed long enough not to kill Katniss."

"I am sure everyone in the Capitol is in a panic with the fighting so close, you could ask Snow to surrender now to spare lives," Finnick says before I even have time to respond.

And there it is. Getting Snow to surrender seems even sweeter and definitely more satisfying than killing him. Anyways I feel I owe too much to Boggs now to steal the Holo to sneak away and kill Snow not now, now that I know Peeta isn't hijacked entirely. I may still be granted my last request to kill him if he were to be captured.

"Well, we will have to wait until morning to pitch the plan to everyone. I better head back to my tent." With that I lean forward and kiss Peeta, get up and head back to my tent.

Chapter 20

When I wake up, for a moment I can't tell if I was simply dreaming last night. For one thing, I can't believe I actually said everything I did and yet I am fully relieved I did. This whole time I have been trying to deny it. Trying to regain my old life, but with Gale so focused on the mission I realize that there was never anything romantic with him. Love, yes certainly, but not a romantic love that is for sure. In fact, calling him my cousin during the hunger games was more accurate than I wanted to admit. He was handsome and my friend, but only after being bonded by the need to keep our families alive and the desire to hunt.

I get out of my tent to find Finnick and Peeta have already pitched the idea and everyone is gathered. I can tell Boggs and Gale are not happy with the idea, however, Cressida and Messalla are already getting Peeta ready for the screen. Boggs, Leeg 1, Finnick and Gale all approach me, most likely in an attempt to persuade me to go along unaware I am in on the plan.

Boggs had reservations but Finnick explained that Plutarch and Haymitch had both agreed early this morning that it might help the fighting come to an end sooner. Gale seemed uncomfortable but never said anything, clearly still in support of anything that would help the rebellion succeed and more than happy to intervene should Peeta try to kill me.

Castor decides that it would be best to make it look like we part of the fighting by showing our squad firing with us in front of them along with Finnick. The more victors to show united the better. Since Finnick and Peeta were up all night they already drafted what needed to be said. They decided Peeta should be the speaker and I had no objections clearly he was the better speaker. Cressida and Messalla were elated when they came to do my make-up. I glanced over to Peeta standing with Finnick trying his best to look relaxed. He glanced over and I held his gaze for a second placed my hand on the pocket the pearl was in and then dropped my eyes to the floor. I was very concerned with drawing attention to us in anyway.

Once I was ready, Castor approached and explained that I would at minimal need to hold hands with Peeta and if I felt up to it even embrace and hold Peeta's waist. He explained that it would be more convincing and uplifting if I were able to pull off the ladder.

"Considering Snow's reaction I am more than happy to embrace Peeta, in fact if we can fit a kiss in even better" I exclaimed with a smile. Playing on my desire to get back at Snow worked wonders and it wasn't even an act, though everyone would be thinking it was.

I walked over to Peeta who was now watching me with a smirk, though no one was concerned because Finnick, Mitchell and Jackson were all smirking as well. Now that I noticed even Boggs couldn't help but smirk.

"Ready?" I asked as I walked straight to Peeta and slid my arm around his waist as he slid his arm around my shoulder it was so natural I blushed. The smirks were gone, everyone was nervous hoping that this wouldn't take a turn for the worst and end up with me being killed by Peeta while filming. Nonetheless, they started the film and Peeta began.

"People of Panem, we have your city surrounded at this moment and our troops are making its way into your city as we speak. Katniss and I are here to give you a chance to surrender in hopes to spare lives. You have until sundown." As he said this he glanced at me briefly to make eye contact and then we both turned our heads back to the camera. Our unit passed by us firing off to make it seem as though we were advancing even now.

It was short and simple yet I wasn't ready to let go of Peeta. Now our highest priority was to get the video back to Beetee so it could be aired. Haymitch and Plutarch came with two hovercrafts. One was for the crew with the video including Castor, Cressida, and Messalla to return with Plutarch. The second was for Peeta, Finnick, and I to return with Haymitch to District 12 until events played out. Plutarch and Haymitch were both concerned about President Coin's ill feelings towards me.

Boggs was ready to come with us but Haymitch convinced him it was imperative he stay and if needed be ready to help when back at District 13 with Coin. Gale wanted to come as well but Plutarch insisted he was needed for the mission. Finnick winked at me during the discussion, I figured last night when they discussed filming Peeta and me for a final propos they had mentioned what had passed between us the night before. Gale's eyes were locked on me, he knew that I wasn't going to stay, either to go kill snow or on another mission that did not involve him. They also had news for us, after some time the troops began making more progress by using cars roll by the pods to set them off and they were even closer than before to taking the city. This took all Gale's attention, from then he was focused on pushing forward with the unit. After delivering the news Plutarch said there was no time that the propos needed to be aired as soon as possible and we were all rushed onto our hovercrafts.

"I will see you when this is over, Katnip!" Gale shouted as Haymitch ran me onto the hovercraft.

Haymitch's arms were still around me as we ran into the hovercraft and the door closed behind us. He let go and I looked back to watch my unit proceed without me as I always intended. As I stood there I felt Peeta's arms wrap around me. Yes I thought this is better than going off to kill Snow. I turned around and before I could Peeta had already pulled me into a kiss. When it was done, I looked around the room for Haymitch and asked if we would be able to see the propos when it aired from the hovercraft.

"Unfortunately, we can't watch it from outside the city if we are not in the command room. But rest assured Plutarch will contact me when it has aired and keep me updated on the progress." He responded. Peeta walked me over to a couch and once again I found myself nestled into him. I laid my head on his shoulder and drifted into sleep.


End file.
